Administration and Finance

Office of the Vice President for
Administration and Finance

MICROFILMING
SERVICES

The
UH Department of Records Retention offers a microfilming and storage service for
component records. Some records that are classified as “Vital” by the
official UHS records retention schedule require microfilming backup. The costs
related to microfilming will be charged back to the using department.If microfilming is required, the following procedures apply:

An
original and one copy of the Records Disposition FORM A shall be completed
for each box to be microfilmed. Each transfer request shall describe the
contents of the box following the descriptive guidelines in the UHS RRS. The
original copy of the Records Disposition form shall be forwarded to Business
Services. One copy of the transfer request shall be taped on one end of each
box. See an example in the Record Retention Schedule.

If boxes shake or rattle, they will not be accepted by the microfilming
center.There can be no plastic
binders or any metal objects including paper clips and staples. PAPER
DOCUMENTS ONLY. The reason for this is that when the microfilmed hard
copy records are eventually destroyed, UH will send them through a shredder.
Plastic and metal will damage the shredder cutters.

Use
only standard storage boxes, letter or legal size, made for that purpose.
Off-size and non-standard storage boxes will not be accepted for storage.
Seal each box using only brown or clear box sealing tape. Boxes and tape are
available from Business Services and will be charged back to the department
by journal voucher.

The
UH Records Retention Center will prepare one original and two copies of the
microfilmed material. Records Retention will retain the original, one copy
will be forwarded to Auditing and the second copy will be returned to the
transferring UHV department.

UH
Records Retention will provide the department with a completed copy of the
Records Disposition form,including
a Record Retention reference number for each box microfilmed or stored at
the UH storage facility in Houston.

The
hardcopy files will be stored by the UH Records Retention Center until the
required retention period has been satisfied and then will be automatically
destroyed.If the boxes are to
be returned to UHV for some reason, then arrangements must be made in
advance with UH.Shipping costs
will be billed to the originating department.

The
transferring department must always use the Records Retention Number if
there is ever a need to access inactive hardcopy files in Houston.Contact the UH Records Administrator,(713) 921-6382, to arrange an appointment at the Houston storage
location.

UH
charges approximately $40 per file drawer of microfilmed material. There
will be an additional $15.00 per hour charge if the records have not been
properly prepared, i.e. the department did not remove all paper clips, metal
staples, ring binders, or hanging binders. Again, leave nothing but paper
and manila folder dividers.

The
UH Records Retention Center automatically microfilms all vouchers processed
through Accounts Payable. FRS and Payroll reports generated by the UH System
for UHV are also automatically microfilmed.